July 22, 2020

Notes by Arjun Patel

Today’s class was about communication. How do we close the gaps between ourselves and others? We have to communicate well. Communicating means to listen and speak honestly. The rules of speaking are: Always speak the truth, always speak nicely, and only speak when you have something beneficial to say. The rules of listening are: Listen to understand rather than respond, listen with the assumption that the other person can teach you something, and listen with the intention to help rather than criticize.

What are the benefits of following these rules?

1. We no longer take things personally.
2. We understand the reason why people say and do things.

Communication with our family:

Your parents always ask you questions like “How was your day?” and we always try to evade the conversation. Our practice was to ask our parents on a date. This was awkward for many people. This is because we don’’t speak to our parents and we are not comfortable with the situation. We should be friends with our family.

RAW: Go on a date with your parents and ask them:

1. What is your most embarrassing story?
2. What is the greatest lesson you have learned?
3. What do you expect from us?

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Notes by Sanna Luthra

Recap of prior class:

-talked about endurance

-endurance is the virtue to overcome complaining

-ability to joyfully face tough situations

Lesson (Topic: Communication):

-virtues to overcome it are speaking and listening

-learn to follow rules; learn not to take things personally

-realize that everyone has their own feelings and reasons for what they are saying

-try to be in their shoes and understand what their emotions are

-try to build a stronger relationship with your parents; spend more dedicated time with them

Speaking Guiding Rules:

-speak the truth

-always speak with the intention to not hurt anyone’s feelings

-always speak to inspire others around you

Listening Guiding Rules:

-listen to understand and not to respond

-listen with the assumption as though the other person is trying to teach you something

-listen with the intention to find help through what they are saying

R.A.W: Go on a “date” with your parents and have a good discussion on how they feel. You may ask them these 3 questions:

-What is your most embarrassing story?

-What is your greatest lesson you guys have learnt so far?

-What do you expect from me?